Unknown
by Warlordess
Summary: The group of three has left Shamuti (Which signals this takes place after the movie 2000) and have landed on a new Isle. Now it's time for a little relaxation, a little fun, and a little worry..! Maybe AAMRN.
1. Girl Talk

_Unknown_

_By: Chibi-Suiko_

_A/N: Okay, it's Friday night and I just got done seeing PKMN 2000-The Movie and watching all the AAM flirtation made me want to write something so here it is. The most illustrious piece of work I can think of at eleven pm on Friday night when I should be sleeping for tomorrow when I can get up and watch YuGiOh, Shaman King, Teen Titans, and PKMN (Bashing everything May stands for along the way, I might add). I hope you enjoy._

_Summary: A small piece taking place after the end of the PKMN 2000 movie. It'll start off with a conversation between Melody and Misty and maybe get into a little more AAMRN later on. I'm not sure whether it'll be a one-shot or a chapterized fic but it doesn't matter now any way!_

_Dedication: ... I'm not so sure but all you ego-maniacs who think that they're the best at writing AAMRN fluffiness might as well just come out and say that you consecrate this to yourselves. Lord knows I've done that with a lot of your fiction... (*Starts to whistle quietly and walk away*)_

_Disclaimer: Though it pains me to admit it, I went bankrupt and was forced to sell my work of PKMN, all of its characters, the plot line, the funny names, the completely tedious puns, and the AAMRN and JAJRN anecdote to Satoshi Tajiri and his Co-Directors. They completely bought me out and I'm sorry. If it had been up to me, I would have smuggled them out of the country (I do actually speak a little Japanese even though I don't sound like it, enough to get me a trip out of Japan any way) but they got to me before I could board the plane. Quite a fictional adventure wouldn't you say? Yeah, yeah, I know. Everything is indeed, though regrettably, owned by Satoshi Tajiri and his pals at the foreign film making place in Japan..._

_***_

_Melody: 15_

_Misty: 14_

_Ash: 12_

_Tracey: 16_

_***_

_Chapter One: Girl Talk_

_It had probably been one of the most eventful and, pretty much, suicidal days in Ash's life and he was now spending the rest of it upstairs of the Shamuti Island Legend Inn snoring away in his little cot. Misty personally didn't blame him. If not for a very strange and convenient case of insomnia, she'd be completely out cold right about now as well. You gotta admit that it'd take a lot having to spend half your life stressing over a little kid who'd like to spend a good part of his life thrusting himself over cliffs or letting himself plunge into a perilous sea. In fact, the only reason that she was currently still sane was the fact that she didn't have to worry about going through such a struggle on her own._

_Brock had always held a strong grip on both their collars and, though Tracey wasn't as familiar with Ash's daily ritual of 'Doing the right thing even if it kills me', he had come to know that there was never a dull moment when around the squirt. Misty doubted that she'd ever forget all the times he'd played 'Suicidal Attempt' and this was probably game number one thousand thirty-five. She had to admit, though, it beat life cooped up at her old Gym in Cerulean. Sure, she liked to visit but having a solemn duty to sit there day after day on her butt... Really, it just didn't work with her. She'd decided long ago, of course never out loud because if her words had been overheard she'd never live it down, that she'd rather be with a self-righteous, twerpy, dense, rash Pokemon Trainer than her obnoxious, depraved of brain sisters._

_It was almost dawn now, her eyes shifted to the sun which rose over the mountains and she sighed discontentedly. This was no way to spend a good couple days on a foreign island in the middle of the Archipelago (I seriously doubt I spelled that right) on a supposed vacation away from Gym battling and thick masses of crowds on every dock... You'd think, wouldn't you, that being out at sea would promote fewer tourists? Unfortunately the Orange Islands held a population that could rival that of her Gym during one of those water ballets or when the S.S. Anne sets off into the golden sunset from Vermillion to Olivine._

_In any case, like she said, no good ever came of insomnia. You know, she'd been up for about twelve straight hours over the whole 'Lugia and The Chosen One' thing, when she'd spent at least seven of those hours praying to God that Ash would make it back alive and in no more than one piece (Apart from his hat and other accessories). And apart from that time, she'd not gotten any sleep in the last twenty-four hours since they'd even arrived on Shamuti. Her lack of rest was bound to make her more temperamental now than before. Yeah, she could all ready hear about fifteen arguments between her and Ash coming up in the next day..._

_"Mind if I ask what you're still doing up..?" Melody asked and Misty jumped slightly, turning to see the young, slightly older russet headed teen sit next to her. When Misty didn't answer (Not out of spite, at least not completely), she continued to speak, "You know, Ash has been out cold for hours. So's Tracey... Don't you think they'll notice when you throw glares at them when they tell you 'Good morning'?"_

_Misty still said nothing... She felt completely drained, even too much so, to insult the girl who'd been repeatedly taunting her relationship with Ash since they'd met. She grumbled lowly in her throat, that being the best a death threat she could make when totally drained of her usual adrenaline._

_Melody only grinned at her in a friendly and apologetic way and sighed as she looked ahead. The wind blew her long, sensuously straight hair over her face but she didn't bother to remove it from her sight, "You know... I didn't mean to make such a fuss over you and Him." Misty froze, knowing immediately who she meant, "I only... Well, the only explanation I have is that's who I am, how I am. And I know I may have misjudged how you thought of him but, well, it was fun while it lasted. I kinda enjoyed mocking your feelings for him... And I'm sorry." She added hastily, catching sight of Misty's threatening gaze on her._

_"I'm not much for sentiment... Especially towards people who just can't stop messing with me... So you'll forgive me if I say nothing apologetic to you in any way."_

_"What is there to be said about any of this? Will you talk to me a bit..? We can go inside; the mornings are usually chilly out here." She waited for a reply from Misty but all she got was a slight nod. Nevertheless, they both rose from their seats on the front steps to the shrine and walked in through the front doors. Misty smiled slightly after Melody as they slowly walked past the calming chime of the patio ornament blowing softly in the wind._

_She sat on the couch and waited as Melody disappeared into the kitchen, soon returning with some steaming Green Tea; Misty smiled thankfully and picked up the mug, rubbing her hands over the porcelain surface. It felt so warm... Almost like Ash's breath on her face yesterday as she dragged him back to shore by rope, or should she say, since Tracey dragged them both back to shore._

_Shocked at her own thoughts, she almost dropped her mug but, tightening her grip, she laid it on the small coffee table and sat back, finally feeling some of the lost exhaustion begin to claim her. It had only taken about thirty-five hours... She moaned softly under her breath, catching the thoughts of lost time slowly creep around her head before she was interrupted by Melody._

_"You know, you really surprised me out there yesterday Misty." She said simply. Misty tried to ignore that statement but, unsure whether she was being given a compliment or not, she quickly retaliated._

_"Not so much as you surprised me..." She was about to continue but Melody took control of the situation again, steering it back in the soon-to-be-stunned-stupid red-heads direction._

_"I mean, the way you said you didn't care for Ash as more than a friend and all... Then taking pretty much full control of that situation in helping Ash back to shore... In a way, you and Tracey are as much to thank for the safety of the world as that gloating, Pokemon-entranced hero..." She giggled._

_"Yeah, well... The guy can hardly train on his own let alone save the world. Can you imagine what it'd be like if it were truly up to him alone..? We'd all be in a rage of pandemonium..." They both laughed a bit and then Melody asked a question._

_"What shocked you so much about me..?" She blushed in an embarrassed way and Misty felt it growing contagious, revealing itself upon her cheeks._

_"Well..." Really, she'd been more than willing to insult the young teen but when hearing her complimentary language, she was forced to think of something else, "...You surprised me a lot when you chose to help, I guess you could say..." Melody was confused and, quite unmiraculously, so was Misty. If she hadn't spoken herself, all ready knowing full well what she meant, she'd have been completely dumb struck, "Remember when we first met? You didn't seem too interested in playing Lugia's Village Maiden when you came from the cliff on shore... In fact, you looked positively downhearted."_

_"Yeah, well... Hardly any people have any idea what it's like to be forced into something by a family member, especially a village-kiss up of a sister..." Melody ended with a grumble, not noticing when Misty gripped the couch cushion in fury, obviously remembering some of her own moments of downsizing by her sisters._

_"But then..." Misty continued with a grunt, "It was a real shock when you got so into it. I couldn't tell which was the act; hating the thought of being the ceremonial maid or living it during the chaos..."_

_"Well, when you've spent your entire life believing it's just a stupid legend you can get an overwhelming lift of adrenaline after you've found it to be real."_

_"...Yeah..." Misty sighed, picked up her mug of-now cool-tea, and put it down again._

_"So... Are you going to get any sleep before you guys head off today?" It was true; Ash had said yesterday that the sooner they got out of there the better, especially with his mom breathing down his throat. It was really becoming a nuisance in his opinion._

_"I don't know... Guess I better try though..." Misty got up to head upstairs where her cot had been sitting all night, ready for her but then--_

_"Misty..?"_

_"Yeah..?" She asked, turning back around._

_"You know when you told me about Ash never being alone 'cause he had you..?" Misty blushed, remembering quite well how she'd worded that seeming poetry before forcing herself to swim through the torrents of the wild ocean to save Ash from drowning, reminding herself of how important it was that Ash live long enough to complete the Lugia ritual._

_"I... I do..." Why was she saying this? Why was Melody bringing this up? Why did they have to talk about such personal matters now?_

_"Well... I really just wanted to know, why me?"_

_"Huh..? What?"_

_"Why would you tell me how much you cared for him? After all the mockery and insulting and everything... I mean, I wasn't being serious about it or anything but still... Why would you mention such deep emotions to a girl you hardly know, plus one that could very well be in the same running for the same guy..?" _

_There was an everlasting silence as Misty stared exhaustingly at the young brunette. Why? How was she supposed to know why? Really, she'd only done it to keep Melody from risking herself and her ability to reawaken Lugia by jumping into the sea after Ash but when she truly thought about it, her influence had always been enough to change people's minds. It really hadn't mattered that she say something so cliché, and definitely not to her..._

_"I suppose..." Misty halted a moment, "It was because I knew that, in the end, I could trust you with that secret..." And she began to walk off, all ready knowing what would be asked next._

_"Does that mean, then, that you do care for him more than a friend..?" She asked, all ready smiling at Misty's last comment._

_"Yeah... I guess that it does... Why?" She grinned slyly and asked, "Are you going to back off or try harder to get him?"_

_"I think that I've all ready been taken out of the picture..." Melody smiled back and picked up the two cups to place them in the sink for washing later._

_Misty headed upstairs, deeply in thought over the sudden revelation that she was considering Ash as more than just a friend. Downstairs, Melody poked her head out the kitchen entrance way and up the staircase but saw nothing. Then she turned back._

_"I hope you're happy. Cause now you know exactly what she thinks of you." Ash sat at the table, holding a mug of his own tea halfway to his mouth but clearly about to drop it from shock. Melody had mysteriously woken him up at seven a.m. for tea but had disappeared no more than a few minutes later only to return for two more glasses and then leave again._

_Now here she was, back with that smile on her face, watching him stare straight ahead for lack of a better way of relieving himself of the urge to collapse. Suddenly, he broke free._

_"Why would you do that to her? For her?" For he was unsure whether Melody had made such a plan or crafted such a scheme._

_"Hey, you two helped save everyone's lives, I figure that I owe you something. And I figured happiness would be the best gift."_

_***_

_A/N: Okay, the end of this piece. Now, I'm not sure whether to leave it at that cliffy or make it into a very small-but cute-chapter story. What do you think? I thought it was quaint enough but you'd better let me know. Review if you want (Hey, with an author who gives you a choice, who wouldn't grace her with a review?)_


	2. Veiling Discomfiture

__

Unknown

By: Chibi-Suiko

A/N: Saturday morning everybody! A day that smells like roses through all the stinky brussel sprouts in my opinion. YuGiOh, Beyblade, Teen Titans, and PKMN to look forward to! And plenty of time to bitch about-May--*Shudders involuntarily* while I dream about more AAMRN existance and continue my works in progress.

Summary: A small piece taking place after the end of the PKMN 2000 movie. It'll start off with a conversation between Melody and Misty and maybe get into a little more AAMRN later on. I'm not sure whether it'll be a one-shot or a chapterized fic but it doesn't matter now any way!

Dedication: ... ... ... ... I got nuthin'... ... ... ...

Disclaimer: Though it pains me to admit it, I went bankrupt and was forced to sell my work of PKMN, all of its characters, the plot line, the funny names, the completely tedious puns, and the AAMRN and JAJRN anecdote to Satoshi Tajiri and his Co-Directors. They completely bought me out and I'm sorry. If it had been up to me, I would have smuggled them out of the country (I do actually speak a little Japanese even though I don't sound like it, enough to get me a trip out of Japan any way) but they got to me before I could board the plane. Quite a fictional adventure wouldn't you say? Yeah, yeah, I know. Everything is indeed, though regrettably, owned by Satoshi Tajiri and his pals at that foreign film making place in Japan...

***

Chapter Two: Veiling Discomfiture

What in her right mind made her think that what she did would make him happy..? She had to be some kind of miscreant not to guess that he wasn't into girls, above all his best friend. God, this was not the way he'd planned on spending his ride away from Shamuti. Having to dodge both Misty and Melody had been driving him crazy and keeping him occupied all afternoon long. It was weird. He could hardly stand to talk to either of them now... It was like they glowed with a new light. Of course it may have just been the sun shining in his eyes right? It didn't mean anything, that he couldn't look at them any longer without going red and sputtering every other word.

God, and Misty had been treating him real weird too. What little bit of time he could stand to be around her, anyway. It was like she was trying to do something to him, but it was something he didn't understand. He thought he'd seen this kind of thing in a movie once but movies were fictional from what his mom said. Oh yeah, and a waste of brain cells, Misty had told him that once, saying that he should take heed of her warning before he was reduced to an even larger pile of 'Dense, brainless dimwit'.

For God's friggen sake (I sincerely hope his mother never reads this), what was wrong with the world?! Whoever thought up cross-gender sociality was really drunk when they introduced it to the public. Why couldn't they keep their discoveries to themselves?! Now he had to sneak behind those strange statue thingies when he wanted to board the boat off of this place. And, oh shoot, there was Misty, waiting for him to come along. And he couldn't just not get on the boat, it was his only way outta here! And he didn't want to stay with Melody. He'd had enough embarrassment when she'd kissed him on the cheek upon his arrival... God, Misty had looked real ruffled about that. He remembered that shocked face she'd worn, like somebody had just trekked on her private territory. It was priceless--

Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There was no reason to bring Misty's jealousy into this conversation. Jealousy..? So she was jealous? Strange, the things you think up when you're not listening to yourself.

God, the horn just blew. That means that in ten minutes, the stupid thing is outta here. He checked his watch. Okay, still nine minutes and thirty seconds to go. He could still make it. Now, if Misty would only head onto the stupid watercraft so he could sneak on long enough to lock himself in their cabin... Wait. Where was Misty..?

Darn it, he'd spent so much time wondering about the past few hours and his best chance to get on and she'd just disappeared from the front... She's gone! She's not in front of the boat anymore! **Freedom, here I come--! **He thought and rushed forward when--

"Mwaaaa--!" He stopped abruptly as Misty stepped in front of him smiling. God, he didn't like that smile. Well, he did, it was just the way it presented itself--No, no; let's just go with he didn't like it. As his inner thought's continued to ramble of their own accord, he thought up something to say to her, "Uh... Hey, Myst..! How's it goin'?" Her smile turned into a slight frown, almost a soft scowl. It was like she knew he was--

"Ash, I know you've been avoiding me..." God, she was good. It had taken him three room dodges to discover that for himself, "And now I want you to tell me why. I've been trying to find you all day. Something's up, you've been disappearing whenever I come around ever since this morning. I think I deserve an explanation." She ended it with such superb finality that he waited a moment to be sure she was done.

****

Sure... Excuses, excuses. Let's see; I could always tell her the truth. "Myst, Melody tricked you into admitting that you like me as more than friends and so before you say anything more to me, you should commit a quick murder before we have to go..." No, she wouldn't buy that... Plus, then Melody's ghost would have reason to haunt him.

"Misty--! Just realized the strangest thing! It's not that I'm admitting the same thing or anything but I was smart enough to realize you aren't here just because of the bike! Never thought it possible of me, did'ya?" Yeah, only if he wanted to kill of his best friend by heart stroke. So he went with the normality for the both of them.

"Misty, I have no idea what you're talking about. I've just been forgetting things lately so I've had to run around a lot to be here on time." Their conversation was interrupted by another timely toll of the water crafts' bell, "And now, if you'll excuse me, that'll be my ticket back to a normal life. Remember, the sooner we get back to civilization, the better." He finished and rushed around her, ignoring her snide scowl that slowly continued to grow behind his back. 

He grinned, feeling he had executed that quite well. Now he only had to be sure he could keep a straight face around her so that she wouldn't suspect any sorta gap in there otherwise fine friendship.

The only problem was, ignoring it only made that unknown gap grow.

~*~*~

"Smell the fresh air; isn't it great?" Misty asked, stepping oddly close to him at his spot near the railing, "Now if only you didn't get us into such common suicidal messes so frequently... I'm beginning to feel you're some sorta Jinx. Tell me, Ash, did you ever cause danger to your friends in Pallet?" He would have replied but he felt that the less he said to her at the moment, the better. It was like every chance he gave his mouth to open, something would slip and he'd end up saying that he knew all about her conflicting love-hate emotions towards him. He really didn't wanna cause trouble but it was just straining their relationship worse and worse whenever he told himself that the best thing to do would be to keep it quiet.

"Myst, I-I gotta go..." He mumbled and turned away from her, finding it easier to run than to pursue. Obviously Misty didn't feel the same way because she held him back a moment.

"Ash, I know something's wrong with you. I don't know what but I keep on trying to fix it... Why do you keep shutting me out? Ever since the thing with Lugia and Shamuti and the Chosen One, you've been acting like you are seeing the world in a different perspective. Are you feeling all right? Did I do something? I'm only trying to make this work."

****

You did nothing... Accept fall in 'like-as-more-than-a-friend' with me. What I wouldn't give for maturity, or at least Brock. He'd be able to help... He let himself slip out of her grasp and turned back. "Myst, I'm sorry but I gotta do some things right now. Everything's kind of... Different because of what happened. And I gotta sort all this stuff out." He let her be, pulling away with a gentle and apologetic grin, leaving her by the rear of the boat alone.

She sighed as he disappeared into their small cabin. The most he'd probably have to solve would be his hunger pains. She didn't know what was going on with herself. She knew that he was acting different but he wasn't the only one. The normal Misty would never have tried to spend so much 'Friend time' with him. Frankly, before letting herself realize how much she cared, she wouldn't have given him a second thought unless he wanted to throw himself over another cliff. He'd probably do it just to spite her, too.

She scoffed. Everything was a little different... Okay, everything was **really **different. How could she let this happen to them? It was like their friendship, probably almost as strong as his and Pikachu's, had begun to stretch and wither and distort. A rift had appeared in the material that couldn't be patched up. It could be taken down and rebuilt but who knew how long that would take? She just wanted yesterday back, when things were simple and straight forward. Now it was like she was living in a parallel universe where she had to work for simplicity. And by working for it, it was no longer simple.

And now she was left alone to ponder her half-blunted thoughts. God, things were more than just a little harder to make right now. They hadn't fought and yet they weren't talking to each other. And Ash denied anything wrong with himself. Was it just her? She did admit that she could over-react about reality when given the incentive. But she didn't think that this was such a distorted version of their lives. He was running from her and he was trying to avoid mentioning why.

Perhaps Ash wasn't the only one who needed some time to think about everything.

~*~*~

****

Did they let themselves fall that deep..? Tracey thought to himself, finding himself taking common glances at Misty, who stood near the bow of the boat now. She had been walking around and around while her thoughts drifted from reality to feebly fabricated mindly stresses. He could tell that they were the exact types that she shouldn't have to handle. When first joining Ash and Misty, he'd easily guessed that their relationship was unique, not unlike that of a Trainer and his first Pokemon. It was a bond of the soul that not many average friends found themselves commonly in. However, it was obvious that they were currently trying to lift that gifted bond in order to achieve the average. It was like they were throwing each other away...

He sighed; how was he to help them out? He knew them well but not so nearly as much as to play Matchmaker. It was a hand that he was not willing to deal. But he did have to admit that they were pulling at themselves far too much for something so easily solved. But, then again, he supposed it was only easy if it was mutual. And Ash had yet to realize how much Misty gave up to stay with him. Tracey knew that **that **alone would be enough to convince him that she was worth embarrassment and admittance. Not many gave up things like Gym Leader routine and affectionate gentlemen for a small kid from Pallet with no sense of direction and a lack-of-a-Bike-Voucher.

~*~*~

Did she deserve to be blown off like that..? He had valid reason to run, didn't he? Insanity was a decent escape, right? He couldn't believe he was letting himself even think about this. Myst was a friend, sure, if he denied that, then there was no hope for anyone. But she was just a friend. He couldn't believe he was even thinking about this. There was no doubt in his mind that he only thought of her in that way and nothing more... So why was he still sitting there in the dark quiet of their cabin, trying to explain to himself what he should expect of her until she got over her crush on him. After all, it was only a one-sided infatuation and nothing more.

For that, he was sure. And he had nothing else to sort out.

~*~*~

She couldn't believe what she'd become. She'd tyraded as some sort of ignorant puffy, little teacake, going after Ash like... Well, for lack of a better example, like Jessibelle chose to chase after James. And she'd sorta felt sorry for him until now. Because now she knew how strong that urge was, the urge she couldn't shake to pursue him until he gave in. She knew she was only dreaming, he cared but he didn't **care**. Like that. For her.

It was her fault because she was the one who'd changed. He was like an innocent victim who'd gotten ensnared in her bear trap. One that she was unwilling to let loose.

~*~*~

A/N: I don't know when I'm going to continue this again but I enjoyed writing this chapter and now that I know I can update at school whenever my teacher isn't looking, I'm going to try and keep updating my fics whenever I get the chance until I've gotten my own internet access at home. I hope that you choose to read no matter the wait because I think it would be at least partly worth it. In any case, I thank those who reviewed last time, all six of you, and I hope that you found this chapter just as enjoyable. 

It feels good to write a story with no certain plot because I can take it anywhere. I can make the group become shipwrecked on an unknown island or I can make it a quick finish with a small intervention and confession. I'm still unsure of what I'm going to do but... You know. Anyway, thanks again and I hope to get more reviews from this chapter as well.

Ja ne for now!


	3. Conflict with Nonentity

__

Unknown

By: Chibi-Suiko

A/N: I am so HAPPY! I may have only gotten a few reviews for the last chapter but they were full of wonderful criticism and from some great people! Special thanks to 'Rae8' who is another one of my commonly chosen idol's along side Satokasu Suki, BellaWaterFlower, and ________*. I luv you all, really, just not as much as them. Anyway, I've always received reviews asking me why I post fics in bold or italic or bold and italic. In any case, you all should know that I only do this to make it seem more... Uh... Decent.

I really don't know why I'm bothering to continue this. I like the idea, and obviously some other people do as well, but this was only meant to be an abrupt one-shot. So will someone (Preferably anybody who's not an invisible voice in my head) please explain to me why I'm even bothering..? Anyway, I guess I'm forced to make this longer, pointless still, but I will keep working on it since it's one of my most evolved thoughts. Though... How 'bout this..? For those who bother to read these things, tell me in your review if you really, really, really think this idea is worth finishing... Or, well, if it's worth going on with anyway. The way I'm going, it might never be finished.

****

To Rae8 (If you're still choosing to read this): In case you didn't read above, you are one of my idols! You and BellaWaterFlower and such are so cool! I can't believe you reviewed two of my fics! Not one, but two! That makes a total of two idolizations that chose to acknowledge me without my having to ask them in a review/email! I feel so special! And wanted! I feel the love!

PS to Rae8: I pity your having to watch the Lizzie McGuire movie with your ten-year-old relatives and their friends.

PPS to Rae8: Really, I do. But I'm happy you at least 'liked' it.

Summary: A conversation between Melody and Misty is unknowingly overheard by Ash. Now knots are tying and bonds are breaking, and nobody is willing to fix them...

~*~*~

Just so everyone's clear on my grammar work:

Italics-Story

"Italics"-spoken word

****

Bold-Italics-Thoughts (Though we know that most of the time they're incapable of thinking anyway.)

~*~*~

Chapter Three: Conflict with Nonentity

Their ferry docked on the port of Salmon-Clay Isle (For lack of a better title) and its' passengers ran off of it, some of the less fortunate ones heading towards a public restroom. Ash, Misty, Tracey, Pikachu, and Togepi were among some of the last to clamber off, which was a disappointment in Ash's opinion, since he couldn't dodge around the crowds and rid himself of that eerie feeling that Misty's eyes were following him everywhere he turned.

He swore the tension between them couldn't grow anymore than what it was. It was really annoying because ever since he'd left her on the starboard side of their ride, she'd been using any excuse to see him and examine what was keeping him so busy. She'd used those such as the rational 'I needed a nap' (Which she didn't take, finding it more interesting to try and catch onto whatever he was doing) down to the most absurd like 'I forgot my make-up', which, of course, she didn't wear.

Things started to get stressful, however, when they ran to the Centre to book a couple of rooms and found that they had only one space empty on the sign-in sheet. And that meant that there was only one room left. 

Now, Ash had nothing against a room with Tracey because, well, they were guys. Plain and simple. And not Misty. But being placed in a room (That could be locked) with Misty (Who could be strange) was just a little much for him. It was almost as bad as putting her into the kitchen and expecting to come out alive.

And now nothing was stopping her from reasoning her way around him as long as she knew that they were forced to share a room. He shuddered, just the thought of sleeping next to a girl was more than disturbing to him. And then there was the minimal space she'd been putting between them lately. Just think about it from his point of view: Ash + Misty + Staying in the same room = Close proximity. He flinched again, all ready feeling goose bumps prickle upon his arms as he turned to his two friends who were waiting for him to hand over the keys to their rooms.

"Um... Hey..! How do you guys feel about sleeping camp-out style again tonight?" He asked with a hand laying nervously behind his head. Misty's neutral face immediately changed into one of opposition after she heard him and Tracey backed away upon feeling her waves of... Uh... Rage.

"Are you telling me that they don't have any bookings available, Ash..?" She said in a tone of sweet honey. But it sounded more to her friends like bitter salt.

Ash laughed anxiously again and tried to calm her down with anything he could think of, "Uh, no--I mean--You see, it's--I think, uh..." Finally he stopped himself, figuring his stuttering wasn't getting him anything of a consolation, "... There's only one room left..." He muttered with his head down. When he heard nothing from his friends, he looked up just in time to see them holding out their pokeballs (And Togepi) to Nurse Joy and completely ignoring his uneasy position.

Finally Misty turned around with her hands on her hips, "Okay, fine... How about this..?" She smiled in a sly way as Tracey came confusedly up to her side, obviously as blank about her idea as Ash was, "I am all for a bed tonight. I will not be sleeping on the ground, especially when we have the ability to use a bed. So either you, Mr. Pokemon Master, use your battle winnings for a very expensive, very extravagant hotel, or we spend a considerably smaller amount of cash on the Centre and take the last room before anyone else..." Her grin increased, "It's up to you."

Ash growled at her, something that neither of his friends chose to hear. He'd have been all for the Starmie Far-Sea Lodge next door if it wasn't for the one hundred-fifty dollars per room he had to spend. Which would make a huge decrease in, not only his account, but his culinary intake. And Ash was definitely not one willing to lower his provision ingestion.

"Heck no, Misty! We are not going to use all of the money I earned in gym battles just so you can enjoy yourself for one night at a stupid hotel! It's not even worth it. And if I say we're sleeping outside then we will sleep outside." He stopped to catch his breath and looked up at Misty to see that her eyes had turned a dangerous fire-red and he backed away, knowing that mallet whacks were soon to come if he didn't say something in her favor, "... B-But, you know, if you want to Myst, we could spend one night in relaxation. I-I mean, we do deserve it after what we've been through..." Her expression lingered for a moment longer to see if he was pulling her leg but then it softened into a victorious smile.

"No thanks, Ash." They turned around and noticed another trainer picking up a pen to mark down the room. Misty instantaneously rushed forward and rammed the kid aside (Ash and Tracey couldn't help but sweatdrop at this), taking up the pen which had fallen out of his hand, and putting their names down (Under Ash's tab, of course) and looking back at them. She stepped up to Ash, who found himself unable to move in uncertainty of what she was going to do, "But thanks anyway for the offer." She then tugged at his cheek like a grandparent would and walked off towards the door, heading in the direction of a local diner.

"... Huh--?!" Ash said, baffled at Misty's behavior.

~*~*~

Did she ever consider, even **once**, letting him off the hook? Really, the way she toyed with him so often... It just got more and more on his nerves and he could do nothing to rid himself of her tantalizing humor. So he reduced himself to eating his problems away. Literally. At the small, eighty's diner across the street from the Centre, he let himself chew his troubles about her away with his plate of a Southern Ham-burger and potato crisps. Yum. No, really, he enjoyed it. And it rid him of everything there was to be doubted. Eating was a great stress reliever. He should refer it to other people. Like Misty. It'd probably help her a lot.

Baaahhh--! Why was he still bothering himself with her?! This was just getting annoying! He couldn't even enjoy his wonderful fries and milkshake anymore! God, she was more trouble than she was worth. Or maybe it was her domination of his thoughts. Oh, God--! Was she taking control of his mind?! The next thing he knew, he'd be reading romance novels and asking for French crepes! This was just getting creepy.

Ash sat himself more calmly at his seat and tried to touch base with things he found more important than her. **Gyms... Yes, gyms. Orange League. I need to win more badges. Two more badges. That's right. How can I possibly win the League and become a true Master if I can't even come up with strategies for a couple of badges..? Right, so... Most likely at least one water type. Pikachu. Right, my buddy would never let me down. Bulbasuar is a strong addition as well. Grass has a strength when it comes to water Pokemon. Yes, easy preparation. I can get past this little thing. She's not that much of a mind stressor. I've just gotta relieve myself of her by thinking of things that mean more to me than Misty--! Ahhh--! There I go again..!**

All right, Mom. I've gotta call Mom and Professor Oak too! Yes, what to tell them... What do they not know..? Uh... Right. I'm alive. They got that. Um, new found interest in girls..? NO--! I don't find any particular interest in girls! Let's think... Misty! She's gonna be a guy from now on! Yeah, she--I mean he's a guy! Can't like her--I mean him--if she's--I mean he's--not the right gender. Okay, now I can get past this. But... Ewwww. Misty, a guy with a crush on me..? Okay, scratch the sex switch. Maybe I can refer to her as another Pokemon..? She loves water types... Tentacruel! No, too powerful to call her that. Tentacool! That's more along the lines of what she deserves! So she's now gonna be a Tentacool! Okay, that works for now. Eh heh, heh, heh...

With these new and more-than-strange thoughts in mind, Ash leapt from his seat, pulled out ten bucks for the meal, grabbed about fifteen packets of ketchup for his little buddy, and walked towards the door. There was nothing that would stop him now! Since he was over that little thing that he had chosen to dub 'Tentacool', he didn't have to worry about her-er, it--taking over his thoughts again. Didn't have to listen to her-its! He meant its!--Flattery over water Pokemon. Didn't have to talk about France or romance. **Ohhh, nice rhyme. I like that one. Gonna have to try and remember it.**

He headed across the street to the Centre, the place where he was forced to fear his friend, and walked through the front doors, remaining as calm as possible as his eyes swept around the lobby. Neither of his friends were there so he figured they were probably in the back, in their small, unaccommadated room. He sighed, he couldn't pretend that Misty was a Pokemon forever though it would work for now. He could just imagine himself throwing Poke chow to her and her grabbing at it with her feelers. Oh, enjoyable, mindless comedy act. He liked that one too.

In fact, he liked it so much that he didn't notice he was walking straight into one of the shafts holding up the Centre corridor to the walls and roof. **Owwwww--!** He tried as hard as possible not to shout out but heard at least two hisses of anger escape him. Lots of good self-control had for him. He was seriously beginning to feel that the world had it in for him. Yes, that was it. Everything was the world's fault. He tried to ignore the feeling of stars blinking in front of his eyes and mocking him for his lack of coordination. He jumped to his feet and tried to act as inconspicuous as possible, heading down the back hallway into the passage that would lead him to their room. 

Rubbing the ache that still had to rival that of Misty's mallet, he walked to his door and knocked twice before entering. He just wanted to be sure that either of his friends, if doing something private, had time to finish or reply to him before he walked inside. Misty wasn't there but Ash noticed immediately that Tracey's pack, considerably large (He'd actually always wondered as to how his friend could lug the thing around all day), was open and laying on one of the two single beds. Misty's wasn't there so that meant, wherever she'd gone, she'd taken it with her. Ash also noticed Tracey, himself, sitting in front of the window leading out into the small field behind the Centre. It was a public access addition where the Pokemon brought in could spend time in a safe, stress free environment. Just a place for them to relax. Something Pikachu and friends deserved all too well anymore.

"Trace, where's Misty..? She still gone to get something to eat..?" Ash yawned, now realizing how exhausted he still was and settled on the other, unused bed. It felt good to be comforted by nothing but a mattress and a blanket. He smelt the sweet lavender detergent still bathed into the material. It kinda reminded him of Misty's--TENTACOOL'S--hair after she--No. Never mind. No one could accuse him of thinking of her. It. He wasn't thinking of anything. One. No, thing. Anything, "So, where is she..?"

"Oh, Misty said that she was going to go down to the beach after she healed her Pokemon. She was gonna let them relax and train a bit. She hasn't had time to do that in the midst of everything. So... You know. She wants to keep up straight." Tracey finished as he pulled his binoculars from his bag, along with his sketchbook and pencil, and looked down towards the pool where overwhelming amounts of water Pokemon swam and interacted sociably with one another, "Did you realize that some Pokemon could increase physical ability and prestige just by friendly representation..?" He asked half-excitedly, still keeping steady watch on the creatures below, "There's your proof right down there, Ash. It's probably one of the reasons why your Pikachu is so healthy. Enjoys status with other beings a lot more than your other Pokemon. Also one of the reasons why Togepi has been showing such mature stature so early in her life. She's had a lot to look to for encouragement." Tracey turned back to Ash and watched him as he yawned again.

"Huh... Fascinating, Trace. Still, when did she say she was gonna be back?" He asked, now too tired to remember he'd been trying to rid her of his thoughts. He was too tired to think of anything, really. He just wanted to make conversation until he was finally put to rest. So, until then, he waited for his friend to answer before continuing to let himself fall asleep.

"She didn't. But I wouldn't put it past sundown. She knows when the Centre closes as well. We can probably expect her back by eight. She does like to play it safe most of the time..." Tracey turned back to the pool, still unaware of his friends' position in his stupor and so he was almost considered annoyed when he heard a soft snore coming from behind him. He scoffed and chose to ignore retaliation of his friends' ignorance and went back to judging the health and battle capacity of the unknowing Pokemon outside, "... Try to tell him something and he ignores you completely. No wonder it took this long, plus sneaky tactics, to find out about her..."

~*~*~

A/N: Um, I know this chapter was short. And pretty basic fumbling for an idea. But I kinda liked it anyway. I thought it was a cute, funny way to look at things the way Ash was trying to see them. Or maybe not. It's just my opinion on how it was completed. Now it's one-fifteen on Monday morning and my mom is yelling at me to go to bed so... You know the drill. Read, review, and don't forget to tell me whether this fic is worth continuing. Thanks in advance, friends from the digits!

Happy belated Martin Luther King Jr. day!

Ciao, ja ne, whatever folks!

****


	4. Uncertainty Gains

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Unknown

By: Chibi-Suiko

A/N: That's right folks. I've decided to write the next chapter before I even uploaded the last. Um, this means I can't very well thank anyone special for their reviews yet, I can't say much about updates in my completely worthless 1/2 life, and I can't let anyone in on when this idiotic fic will be finished. Well, actually, that's something I can't do no matter what the circumstances of my work are so... Okay, I'm giving you all the right in the world to ignore the rest of this authors' note and skip to the next... Whatever I'm gonna type.

ALSO: Note about the title (NOW I remember what I wanted to post in the above notation!), I don't think anyone's asked me about it so far, and if that's true, good for those of you who've contained their questions! Anyway, just to ease my own curiosity as to if anyone will ask me, I'm just gonna tell ya like it is: This fic was just something I'd whipped up for a one-shot (Which I've repeated I-don't-know-how-many-times), and was originally going to be posted with a title as idiotic as the plot. Halfway through the first (And formerly only) chapter, I realized that the one I was going with really seemed too... Stupid... To stick with. So, to make things simple, and to describe the plot (In a VERY subtle, VERY unrevealing way, I might add), I changed it to 'Unknown'. Doesn't fit very well but I don't care. I usually don't think of wonderful titles for fics that I don't feel are worth posting. Anyway, before I depress myself even more (Though I seem oddly imaginative when I am feeling dejected), let's get on with it. Oh, and thanks to those who bored themselves to the bone by reading this useless page of... Whatever **Yawns tiredly**. Yeah. That's it.

ALSO 2.0: About the whole 'Misty is a Tentacool' thing. Yeah, it was just a little something pointless I thought up last minute so if you think that Ash wouldn't be trying to evade mental subconscious issues about their vastly changing situation (Though he won't admit it, I've got big plans for him... **Smiles eerily** Enjoy free reign over your thoughts while you still can, Ashy-boy, love is about to get a lot more mechanical for you once I subject you to the torture of this mental stabilizer microchip. No longer will you resent Misty and her horrible excuse for cooking... No more 'Scrawny' and gloats about new badges... I will rule you.), you are sadly mistaken. And for those of you out there who choose to contradict my work when you haven't written ONE... SINGLE... THING... I suggest you try something more beneficial for yourselves.

Check out some of my other fics when/if you get the chance. Mind you, they aren't that good... (Yay! More deeply mental thoughts!)

Summary: Ash-Tachi have left Shamuti for the small seaside Isle of Salmon-Clay (Only because this author has trouble thinking of a name for it. Have you all noticed that EVERY, SINGLE TOWN/CITY/ISLAND/VILLAGE is named after a color?! And I still can't think of something to name it! Sorry, gotten off topic again, haven't I..?). Ash has bored himself into a nap and Tracey is still doing whatever Pokemon Watchers/Observers do. But when Misty doesn't return from training at the beach, what emotions will burn within her friends among their worry..?

Disclaimer: I don't own Ash-Tachi (Either that which includes Brock or Tracey). I don't own the Archipelago. And I definitely don't own AAMRN, it belongs to everyone in their own right (But I was there first).

~*~*~

Chapter Four: Uncertainty Gains

Ash yawned and stretched, his tense muscles finally urging into relaxation. He opened his eyes blearily and noticed the dark sky outside his window. **I must have been asleep at least three and a half hours..!** He thought, disbelieving of what he'd thought would be a half-hour nap, tops. He fell back onto the mattress, drinking in the soft texture of the quilt still laying rumpled beneath his itching exterior (Not literally itching, you'll see). He could almost feel the sleep beckoning him again when the bedroom door burst open, swinging into the wall, the adverse sound almost racketing the nothingness inside his head. 

Next moment, though, ridiculous thoughts of Earth fissures echoed within his mind as he felt two arms grasp his shoulders and run them ragged as the terse muscles were sort of... Flipped... About under the strength held by Pokemon Observationalist, Tracey Sketchitt. Ash tried to wriggle beneath the tight grip on his upper arms but failed as Tracey only managed to shake him harder, knowing that he was awakening. Ash had no idea who it was that thought forcing him awake was humorous (His eyes were still closed, remember?), but he was about to crack a couple bones if they kept at it. Unprepared though he was, his eyes finally snapped open as he thought that he sounded almost ironically like Misty--Tentacool, he meant Tentacool..

He rubbed the excess sleep from under his lids and turned to see Tracey standing almost on top of him, his expression one of pure anxiety. Ash couldn't think of any reason why he'd be acting so strangely so he saw fit to throw him a death glare, not unlike what Misty--TENTACOOL!--was capable of. Tracey responded by quickly rolling his eyes and forcing his friends legs from the small spot at the edge of the bed where he could sit down and recap what he'd realized only about ten minutes ago.

"Ash, there's a problem." Ash shrugged as if anything wrong with those who weren't him didn't matter anymore. Tracey could hardly dare to believe that his buddy was unwilling to help those in need; never-the-less, he chose not to relent to Ash's carelessness and continued with what he'd been saying only thirty seconds ago (Dramatic pause, can't write a good fic without that!), "Ash! It's not just anyone who has the dilemma! It's you! Ash, Misty never returned from training this afternoon at the beach."

At this abrupt finish of speech, Ash, who was centered on yawning, broke it off into a deep breath of air. Tracey didn't look ready to burst out laughing and something in Ash realized that he wasn't trying to joke around with him. Before he, or his muscles, chose to comprehend the situation, he jumped to his feet (And fell back again cause his body hadn't been exactly ready to take on such stressing weight), and rushed to grab up his bag. He then ran out the door, forgetting Tracey behind him, and rushed to the front desk. It was then that he'd caught sight of the clock above and behind the common Nurse Joy's head. 10:04. Almost an hour and a half since she was supposedly guaranteed to be back. Why hadn't Tracey warned him of her lack of return before now?!

He hissed through his teeth and banged on the front desk to get Joy's attention away from the phone call she'd received from her cousin in New Bark Town. Obviously it didn't matter which relation they had to the other nurses, they all were still pretty close for distantly placed relatives. Ash shook his head to rid it of thoughts like, **'I bet her second cousin is from Viridian' **or **'I wonder which is the oldest sister?' **and knocked his head on top of the table before she cleared her throat to say he'd signaled her well enough and he looked up and laughed awkwardly before he decided to get serious.

"Right! Nurse Joy, is Pikachu ready for me?!" He asked, hoping that she wouldn't try and question him why he was in such a hurry. Unfortunately, he was dead wrong.

"Well, Mr. Ketchum, he is as healthy as he can get... Why do you need him so fast? I'm sorry to say that the Centre is locked down for the night and there is no acception for any trainers to leave and prepare for their next badge tonight. Again, I'm sorry." She ended before placing Pikachu atop the counter where he was munching happily on an apple. His most favorite food next to ketchup.

Ash wasted no time in ripping his buddy from the board and when Joy glanced scandalizing into his face, he replied with a rushed apology, "Nurse Joy, please, I'm sorry but... You've just got to keep the Centre doors open for awhile longer. My friend went out this afternoon and she never came back. And I hafta go search for her because she might be hurt or something and I'm not sure what may have happened--"

"--Mr. Ketchum, Ash, I'm sorry. I can't unlock the doors. For safety purposes, they have been placed under a tight security surveillance and they won't open again until tomorrow morning, 9:00 sharp. Whatever has kept your friend gone this long, I'm sure it's nothing. Now, please return to your room or else I will have to escort you. This is a hospital of sorts. Thank you and... Goodnight." She ended as sweetly as possible, turning to straighten a pile of papers in order to disguise the fact that she was deeply worried for Misty herself.

"But... God... Please, I'm seriously begging you, here..! Is there any way, I don't care if it's through a laundry shoot, to get out of this Centre? I mean, she's been traveling with me for two and a half years! And what would her family think about this if they ever found out something was wrong with their youngest member..?" (He neglected to mention that they would probably throw a celebration) He looked up with a great big puppy-dog face that had always worked wonders on Misty--He meant the ugly, non-gendered Tentacool.

Joy sighed, she was a county authorative. If she ever got caught sneaking children out of the safety of her public sanctuary after hours she could be suspended or permanently banned from her occupation as COPP (Corporate Official Pokemon Physician). Nevertheless, it was still her responsibility to give all her Over-Nighters the same amount of respect, decency, and care. And for that, she knew that she'd have to give in.

"Very well, Mr. Ketchum. Follow me..." She headed through the door, down the corridor leading towards the public Trainer laundry room, "And I suppose that Mr. Sketchitt will want to follow you out as well..?" She asked him, and Tracey appeared from behind their partially open bedroom door, grinning sheepishly and trying to look as though he hadn't been listening in on their conversation. 

She led them both towards the cleaning room, where the storage was kept, and she shoved open the un-oiled door, which squeaked rigidly, sending chills up all their spines (Mind you, this story is not meant to be a horror genre placement). The young woman bit back a choke on dust and coughed miserably before entering, turning on an old, flickering light switch on her way in. Anyone could tell, at first-glance, that the room was definitely not in use, and probably hadn't been so for at least three years. Cob/Spider webs littered the ceiling, corners, and upper walls, small squeaks made known that rodents were scurrying in the darkness, and dust was swept up at the very settling of a foot onto the ground.

Joy blew on an old knob on the opposite side from where they'd entered, producing a small billowing mass of gray powder before swiping it away with her hands and smiling softly. She stepped aside and let Ash and Tracey take notice of the diluted wooden frame before the youngest stepped forward in a sudden rush of adrenaline.

"So... Where does this lead?" He asked as he held onto the knob, ready to rush out into the night as soon as the female critter doctor had given him the information he needed, "Can we get back in from here?"

"This door leads into an old Ground Pokemon Reserve we used to have connected around the back. But the construction was postponed a couple years back for the Water Habitat because of Type Value. Eventually the unfinished construction was abandoned completely and forgotten and we never saw fit to return to furnishing it. Fortunately, not many trainers travel the Orange League with multiple Ground Pokemon so not many, if any at all, complaints have been placed. In any case, the area you'll be exiting from has no security and has not been cleaned up in quite a while. This is not, however, in your benefit, Mr. Ketchem. Look at it this way, all these years small Pokemon such as Rattata and Venonat and others of the like have had the opportunity to invade the unused space and flourish into dozens of common clans. They have great chance to raise their level and are probably superior to those you'd think you'd see beyond here." She halted for a breath before continuing, "This site is unreserved and unsafe, a reason why I don't let any Trainers know of it. So if I find out that any are trying to get out through this door, I'll know it was you who told them... Anyway, beyond the overgrown field, you'll see an iron-clad fence, something we never completely sanded down. Be careful how you climb over it or you'll get cut. After that, it's pretty much a straight walk to any part of the beach... Here--" She held out a couple lanterns and potions, "These won't do much for your Pokemon since they have earned such high experience points, though I suggest you use them for all they're worth. And once these are gone, I'm afraid you'll have to rely on your own resources." Ash said nothing, still looking into the darkness beyond, his mind not on the powerful Pokemon catching possibilities for once. He heard Tracey gulp fearfully behind him.

"Don't worry, Trace. I'm sure there's nothing out there that Pikachu and I can't handle! C'mon, you two--" He threw his finger forward, his courage and confidence obviously returning, "--We have a friend to find! And thanks, Joy! This is a big help! We won't tell anyone, we promise!" With that statement of gratitude said, he ran forward before either of the others could stop him.

"A-Ash, wait!" Tracey turned back to Joy real quick and blushed lightly under her, still serene, grin, "Um... Can we get back through this door, Nurse Joy..? You never did answer that question." Nurse Joy frowned for a moment, obviously thinking, and then smiled again.

"I'm afraid that, without someone here to keep the exit propped open, you'll be stuck out there for the night..." Tracey's face froze for a moment, "But don't worry, I'm more than willing to stay up if it means the safety of those few Pokemon Trainers who don't mistreat their Pokemon. So let me just fill Chansey in on the situation so that she can stand guard for any emergencies and then I'll come back and wait here for you. You have nothing to worry about." Her grin widened, "After all, what kind of Nurse would I be not to inform possible patients of the trouble out there?" She finished, letting him run ahead.

Tracey fumbled a moment, his feet too quick for the rest of him, and then he bowed hurriedly and ran forward calling out to Ash, who was probably at least ten yards ahead by then. She stood behind in the doorway, almost forgotten as the wind swept her loose uniform around.

~*~*~

"Darn insomnia. This never would have happened if I had gotten even the slightest bit more sleep back on Shamuti..." Misty grumbled angrily, barely conscious enough to hear herself think. She turned over, almost eating a mouthful of sand in her absence to remember where she was, and jumped up, realizing that the sun was no longer out. She panicked and got to her feet, pulled out three pokeballs, and recalled Poliwag, Goldeen, and Staryu. Togepi waddled up to her ankles and she swept the little child into her arms in order to get to the Centre faster. 

She ran past the bleak, wooden fence separating the beach from the rest of the town, and tried not to imagine the amount of ominous shadows that whisked by her in her hurry. Two seconds later, however, as she was nearing the boardwalk, she heard a voice in the distance, one that didn't sound too familiar, and yet it called her name.

"Misty--!" The shock from hearing the unfamiliar worry in the unidentified tone caused her fear to mount and she ended up tripping over the forgotten step leading onto the walkway. She slipped to the ground and felt her skin rip on her knee. Cursing words that Ash's mother (Her second mother) would be appalled to hear coming from her, she got back to her feet and hopped up at the sudden pain in her left leg. God, things were going just perfect, weren't they?

She felt the absence of life before she realized that she was completely alone and drug her left foot forward, feeling a sting every time she tried to put weight on it. She held her bag close, and her baby closer, just in case anyone like Team Rocket were to show up and request surrender of all her Pokemon. She felt a fleeting wind, which caused her bloody scrape to throb more, and decided to take her steps more slowly and carefully. 

Fully placing her left foot onto the ground, she placed a slight amount of weight on top of it, feeling a smarting coming from her nerves. She ignored it however and went along, walking the steadiest possible with a slight limp to her step. She could just make out the dim lights of the Centre ahead when she felt a chill run down her spine. 

Ugh. The only word she was capable of thinking in such a situation.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and, feeling a very sudden, very unwanted rush of fear, she dragged herself behind one of the trashcans' next to a small Pizzeria. She held her breath down as she saw two fleeting shadows shuffle by, leaving her completely in the dark again. This was not what she needed. She got to her feet just in time to see the unknown figures head back down the walkway, and she dove behind the waste baskets again. Definitely not the best situation to be in alone.

The huddled beings ran past, back towards the beach again and she got up and began her unsteady walk back to the Centre once more. The doors were locked anyway, she hadn't any idea how she was gonna get back inside... Unless she climbed through the heating/AC shaft straight back into their bedroom.

The desperate sounding cries of her name had died down and the unkempt shadows had completely disappeared. She wondered if Ash had realized that she wasn't there. She wondered if he even cared. He'd been showing so much want to avoid anything to do with her, she wouldn't be surprised if he slept straight through her unrattling lack of return.

The front doors to the Centre were locked down, she could see the glimmering beams of red light holding up the security. Obviously the main entrance was a no-go unless she planned to wake up the entire town. She cursed again and headed around to the side of the building. She could make out a small air vent, probably used to rid the AC of dust particles and such. It would probably be just big enough for her slim form to squeeze through. Now if only she could get it open...

She pulled out a small device Brock had given them as insurance in case 'Home-cooked meals' became too much of a burden. It was a small knife-like object, though there was no actual blade. It held small utensils such as a spoon, fork, knife, tweezers (Mostly to clip the Pokemons' paws), and a **screw driver**. She grinned and silently thanked Brock in spirit for having been such a mature figure to look up to before she crouched as low as her battered muscles would let her and began to twist the little screws bolting the shaft to the rest of the building. Her frustration got the better of her the first time and her driver slipped out of the bolt hold, scratching against the brick surface of the Centre wall.

Things were gonna get rough.

~*~*~

"Ash, Tracey; back so soon?" Joy asked, yawning tiredly as the two distressed boys entered the Centre through the atrocious looking door. She got up and closed it behind them then turned back with a serious expression, noting that they were still one trainer too short, "I take it that you didn't find her..?" She asked, now dead-serious and looking ready enough to call Officer Jenny up.

Ash and Tracey sighed, still desperate to think of any place she would/could have gone. But it wasn't like this island was familiar territory to any of them so she wouldn't have been to visit a friend, and all the public access spot were closed down for the night. Bitterly, they had ended up giving up the search. If she wasn't where she said she'd be than they wouldn't waste valuable time looking for someone who was unable to be found. What they meant was, it was time to call the authorities.

Joy could tell by their expressions that that's what they, too, had in mind and she hurriedly exited the old storage area, the other two following, and closed and locked the old door again. They re-entered the lobby where Chansey was dusting things like the computer screen and sweeping the floor. 

Ash reduced himself to a mess of unease for his friend, though he couldn't explain exactly why it seemed so horrible to lose her. Things had gone wrong with his friends before so why was now any different? He remembered vaguely the day he'd caught Bulbasuar. It had started out horribly enough, Brock losing his footing on that bridge and disappearing into the river below. And when he and the others had been separated by that blizzard in the mountains (Think: Snow Way Out, I know it has common use), and he'd almost died of shame thinking that Pikachu could have been lost forever...

In any case, trying to ignore these abruptly inserted thoughts, he stealthily stalked across the room, finding the tiles a lot easier surface to smudge than that of his pride which was still slightly (Though failing miserably) trying to ward off the right to worry about Misty, even when she'd been gone for that long.

Joy placed the phone on the receiver with a click and turned to them with a sigh, "Jenny said that she'll be here as soon as possible. Try to hang on, you two. There's not many places your friend may have been taken so it'll be easy to locate her if she's been kidnapped." She lay her head in her arms, "I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. I know you must really care about her. But remember, Salmon-Clay is a remote Isle with hardly any connection to the other parts of the globe besides telephone and the Harbor. We don't even have our own airport! So there's nowhere she could have been taken that--" She was interrupted by a clash coming from the vents. 

Immediately, Ash looked up and Tracey followed him with a face as still as stone. Ash's fists tightened. He swore, if Team Rocket was at it again, trying to sneak into the Centre than... His eyes widened, **Could they have taken her..?! **He was about to voice his thoughts to Tracey when Joy began to dial the small code that would instate the Centre's PA system and resurrect everyone in a good opinion of alarm.

"Attention Trainers resting overnight in the Salmon-Clay Centre. Please proceed to the lobby at once. This is not a drill. The Centre it being penetrated by thieves. Keep all Pokemon as close to you as possible for precaution. I repeat, this is not a drill..!"

~*~*~

A/N: Unfortunately, that's where I'm gonna end it cause I don't wanna make it too long. For the most part I like to keep all my chapters of a certain fic close to the same length so... You know what that means. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, review if you're able!

Ciao, ja ne, whatever friends from the digits!

-- Chibi


	5. Deliriously Dreaming

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Unknown

By: Chibi-Suiko

A/N: I just updated with the third chapter today, haven't posted the fourth yet... So, you know I'm really coming onto this now. It's really weird, actually, because even though I chose to make it a chapterized fiction, I was going for three chapters at the most... But here I am on chapter five and still in mid-plot. Should I feel bad because I didn't make my goal, or pleased because I surpassed it..? Oh well **Sigh's distressedly**... I don't know who chose to review chapter three yet, obviously, and whoever did, along with chapter four, thanks to you and warm fuzzies all around. I feel loved and admired as long as you few people out there decide to check out my fic.

Now for the polls... That I'm not so sure about. One thing has been really eating at me since I posted this story. The reason why I made it such an abrupt one-shot at first, the only one worth determining why I placed it under first 'Drama' category... Because I was unsure whether to pull out a confession or what. So here I am, going through mind boggling fury-fights right in the middle of my mid-term days. Hell is sweet, yes? Anyway, those who care, tell me whether I should fix in some sort of... Thing... Between our friendly, little brats or not. It's up to you.

Again, check out some of my other work if/when you get the chance. Thanks to those who all ready have!

Summary: Ash-Tachi have arrived on Salmon-Clay Isle and are besting themselves in the wonderful thought of... Vacation! But, only there for a day and all ready, trouble is stirring! Misty disappeared to train on the beach and left Ash and Tracey to their hobbies and now she hasn't ever returned..! Will this little spurt of fear for his friend push Ash in the direction towards self-admittance or convince him further that they are not right for each other..? (I know that didn't make much sense but bare w/me.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Ash-Tachi (Neither which of includes Brock or Tracey). I don't own Archipelago. but I own every right to use them behind Satoshi Tajiri-San's Back. Thanks for not spilling the beans (Because they stink pretty badly anyway)..!

~*~*~

Chapter Five: Deliriously Dreaming

Misty hunched, huddled between to metallic boards of metal, one above and below, leaving her very little room for comformality. She hitched a quick breath before she tried to move forward in the musty-stenched vent then felt herself slip unceremoniously onto her aching leg. She hissed angrily and pulled up on it, falling backwards so that she hit her head next (Her self-abusiveness is rivaling that which extends onto Ash..!). She felt the strange sensation of something pouring murkily down the back of her neck, but when she felt behind her crook, there was nothing there. Excusing the absence of blood, she turned back forward, hearing nothing from ahead.

That was until she heard a familiar voice echoing into her cramped space, "Attention Trainers resting overnight in the Salmon-Clay Centre. Please proceed to the lobby at once. This is not a drill. The Centre it being penetrated by thieves. Keep all Pokemon as close to you as possible for precaution. I repeat, this is not a drill..!"

Her breath caught in her throat again. Great, just wonderful. Here she was, ledged between two slabs of steel (Four counting the narrow splices beside her) and the Centre was being attacked by, most likely, Team Rocket. But then again, this could have worked in her favor. Maybe now Ash would wake up and catch on to the fact that she wasn't there. She drew another breath, readying herself for more jolts of pain, and slipped forward a bit more. She felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle again and she shook her head, hoping to rid herself of the feeling that something was about to go wrong. Of course, she still felt it, like a small twinge in the back of her nerves. Something like she was going to get stuck there before she turned fifteen.

She blew some air and felt her bangs flutter before she happened upon the railed touch of another vent entrance. She looked down and gasped as she spotted three people moving hurriedly beneath her. And all of them looked familiar. Joy stood next to the computer, all ready in the act of transporting the Pokeballs to Delta, a neighboring Island. Tracey was securing all windows and such, making sure that everything was locked up to prevent unwanted entry and Ash... Ash was standing in front of the doorway leading to the dorms. She saw Pikachu on his shoulder and a clipboard in his hand. She also noticed a very distraught expression on his face, his brow furrowed, and his foot tapping anxiously on the linoleum floor.

The next thing she knew, two by two, new faces began to enter the room, walking slowly by Ash as he took down their names and possessions and admitted them into the lobby. It was like he was concluding a survey on the belongings each trainer had brought. She noticed him growing more impatient with every entry and placed her now nimble fingers over the shaved blades of the flue and tracing them as she watched him acting so... Mature and responsible, something she had thought him totally incapable of. 

****

But then again, She thought, **He wasn't the one who fell asleep on the beach until after hours. **She scoffed at her own deflation of esteem and returned to trying to pry the welded escape from its bar so that she could finally breathe freely and get her slight injury managed. She couldn't believe she'd been so much of a klutz as to fall on that dumb boardwalk. There had always been one just North of Cerulean and she'd never tripped over that!

She clutched the handy, little number that Brock had bought them (Refer back to last chapter if you don't remember what the heck I'm talking about) for just such situations (Or, maybe not so much **Sweatdrop**) and began trying to poke it through into the screws. There was a small, well-disrupted commotion coming from her work but, because of the many people below her chatting animatedly with each other, it went unheard. She again tried to focus all her gain onto her task, hoping that she could get them all finished fast so that she could help with whatever business was going on down there.

~*~*~

Ash sighed as he slammed the clipboard onto Joys desk and looked on to witness the turn out of the Centre's room stock. Now he could understand why there was only one space left. In fact, he couldn't even get how there was that! The Centre wasn't made to hold more than twenty non-patients overnight but there was at least two dozen standing within his frontal range of sight. **And none of them have suspiciously familiar red hair... **He noticed despondently. God, if he continued to wait like this she could be dead before they even knew her whereabouts.

Coincidentally enough, right above him, Misty was thinking along the same lines before she got back to her current affair.

****

Only one... More... Left..! She thought with triumph as she heard a splitting between steel and nail. She could feel the bolt loosening easily enough and knew that soon, she'd be able to get out of the filthy little space of hiding. She still didn't understand how the Centre had been locked to such an extreme. Had they always had a large problem with robbery? 

She felt the screw come undone and watched as it fell to the floor, also taking notice of an easily recognizable red and white cap, just below her nose. She sniffed angrily, there was Ash, just standing there without a care in the world. She jerked angrily and gasped in a sudden spout of pain from her minor (And NO, I'm not gonna break bones for your enjoyment, people) injury. The leg mentioned was currently resting behind her back (Under her) as she crouched to get a better view of Ash's expression. He didn't look exactly pleased with his surroundings... But then again, who would when there were shouts among every pair of conversationalists..?

Letting her hands grasp the top of the vent again, she totally forgot that she'd taken out the bolts, and immediately felt a rush of wind escape her throat as her head ducked through the shaft and she fell completely forward, losing balance and, ironically enough, falling right into Ash Ketchem's arms.

Well, not exactly. More right on top of his head.

There was a moment of silence in which her still mussed mentality gained the attention of several unknown prospectors. Then they realized that this girl must have been the reason for their calling in the middle of the night and signaled irrationally for Joy to come investigate. As for Ash, well, he was still getting a hold of their awkward position, let alone the fact that his seemingly kidnapped/vanished/presumably dead friend was right on top of him. He pushed her off, finally coming to the indulging discovery that she was there and he wasn't just imagining another extra hundred pounds on his upper legs. He knew he ate but that whole 'It goes straight to your thighs' theory was just a little to literal for him.

"... Tentacool--!" He stuttered, finally catching onto what had happened (Though she was now looking thoroughly confused at his sudden spout of a Pokemon name), " I-I mean... Misty?! You're all right!" He shouted, his overexcitement getting the best of him and he lept forward, beginning to shake her shoulders in barely contained enthusiasm. Misty could feel her mashed brains slaw around the central lining of her skull and turned to dazedly smirk at him, finding his sudden fretty behavior amusing, "Where have you been?!" He asked, suddenly aware that he was still gripping her and letting her go so that she could get up.

Needless to say, it was a pointless gesture as, by now, her legs had both fallen asleep, the injured one numbing into a swollen golf ball sized knob. He didn't taken notice till she grasped his shoulder and pulled herself up so that she could hop over to the counter and lean against it for support, rather than her all ready boisterous friend. 

Ash finally glanced over as Nurse Joy came to close in on the scene of one; a newly visible girl with obvious grievance sustained within her left leg, knee and lower. She helped Misty over to a chair and asked Tracey, who readily agreed, to go get some ice and an ace bandage. And then she began her interrogation as to why the girl was found falling from her ventilation system and how she could have possibly gotten in through there in the first place. There was also the simple accusation as to what she was planning to pilfer from her Centre.

Ash scoffed and watched as Misty's mouth dropped open, obviously hurt that anyone could even think her capable of stealing from a place that did so much good. **So they thought that I was the Poke-Napper--?! Come on, I don't sound that suspicious, do I?! **But thinking it over, she concluded that from where they were standing, it would sound a little apprehensive on their part.

She looked to Ash for help, and he sighed and explained the situation for her, "Nurse Joy, this is Misty Waterflower, the friend of ours that went... Missing." At this, Joy's interest was deeply aroused though she still looked slightly suspicious as to the whole air shaft thing, "Something must have happened at the beach because she didn't make it back in time for closing hour and was forced to excavate your AC structure. But she is, in no way, a Pokemon Thief. You have mine, Traceys', Professor Oaks', and my mothers' guarantee on that." He then caught Misty's eye as she silently thanked him for breaking the ice, "But I'd like to know why she'd put me through so much just to fall right on top of me..." He ended in an embarrassed mutter, suddenly finding the speckled tan linoleum floor much more interesting than Misty's expression.

****

I put him through..? Was he worried about me..?! Could have fooled me with that Devil-May-Care attitude of his! He could express it a bit more than that! I mean, it's nice to know people care--! She opened her mouth to express herself more clearly to the object in mention but Tracey stepped up, holding out the accommodated health issues for Nurse Joy to use for tending to Misty's leg. She felt another burn as pressure was forced upon her swollen ankle. Flinching, she caught sight of Ash, just managing to look away before she could accuse him of staring at her. Joy helped Misty stand and led her towards the door that would finally get her into a soft, warm, comfortable bed.

That was until, one, the other Centre moochers decided that they'd like to know when they were going to be 'robbed' and, two, Jenny happened to show up on her motorcycle, crashing into a halt twenty feet from the glass front doors and almost setting off the screeching alarm system. Ash and co. sweatdropped as every single part of the scene became steadily more complicated and as Joy turned to ask them to help her out, they became seriously involved with Misty's sprain, making it clear that they thought her the priority (And trying to deny the fact that they didn't want to get stuck cleaning, everything they'd caused, up).

~*~*~

Tracey let Misty lean on him as he helped her drag herself towards the bed that so beckoned to her. She felt her head crash onto the pillow and immediately felt sleep welcome her but she forced her eyes awake so that she could at least grab at her side-ponytail and remove her hair from its restraint so that it didn't knot too badly by morning. She felt the release and suddenly her face welcomed her slightly wavy locks. She, then, turned out the light on her side and was about to fall asleep when Ash happened to realize something. With Misty on one bed and Trace on the other, he was left with nothing but a stone-cold, unwaxed, unswept, stubble of a floor to rest upon.

At first it would have been nothing to him; take out his sleeping bag and he could have been out within a half-hour. But he just happened to feel that night that he deserved more than that. So he decided to complain. Loud.

"Heyyy--!" He whined and caught the attention of one; Tracey, who began to move his fingers to his ears in hope of drowning out the immature boys cries, "How come you two get the beds! I've been through more than you! I'm the one who needs comformality! You guys should have to be the ones settling for the floor!" He finished with a stomp of his foot, causing a slight *Thwap* noise to echo around the plain room.

Misty yawned exhaustedly and waved her hand to show she was listening to him, no matter how much her mind argued that it wasn't a good idea so late at night, "Well, I have one for obvious reasons and Tracey is... He... I don't know about him. Direct your question that way." And her elevated hand pointed her index finger over in the direction of the huddled lump that was Tracey's body. He sighed and angrily flopped off the bed but as Ash moved to lay down on it, he raised his foot into the air to stop him as he shoved himself off of the ground. Ash pouted again as Tracey tried to explain himself.

"Listen, with two single beds, there obviously isn't enough room for all three of us to get a good night's sleep without some gauche circumstance presenting itself. So I propose that we shove both beds together so that all of us can uncomfortably fit on a giant king-size." He ended and again, before Ash could state a word, "And you get middle. Now, c'mon. We can just move this one closer to Misty's so that we don't have to worry about waking her up or having to drag her extra weight over to this side--"

"--I HEARD THAT." Misty stated in what sounded like a deathly calm tone, yet it couldn't have sounded more loud to them. Tracey decided to ignore it for the most part as he took hold of the opposite side of the bed and beckoned Ash to pull it to the closest side of Misty's. He met in between two mattresses, feeling more like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich all the while. He dragged his feet up, crawling over the bed again and leaning towards the other side. Jumping off, he smashed his hand into his bag and, not finding what he needed, left for the small sanctuary that was a private bathroom.

He emerged thirty seconds later, clad in nothing but his black tee-shirt and a plaid pair of boxers, and jumped onto the bed, thinking nothing of the fact that he was going to be sleeping next to the very girl he was trying to avoid. He soon remembered, though, when his hand fell over her shoulder and he jumped (Forgetting that Tracey was on the other side of him) and knocked himself into his other friend. Needless to say, the results were not pretty.

"Ash! What the Heck is wrong with you lately--?!" Tracey shouted at him, shoving him back into his designated space and placing his hands between then as some sort of makeshift wall. Ash looked at him skeptically before thinking over his question and turning straight (Because looking at Misty would whack him out to much), placing his pillow over his head. Exasperatedly, Tracey pulled it from his grasp and tried to talk something out of him, "What is up with you?! I mean, before two days ago, you were never this jumpy! And I may not have known you two for long, but I know that you never acted this eccentric."

"There's nothing wrong with me, Trace. Just a little preoccupied after all that's happened tonight. Or are you saying that it wasn't a big deal for you at all?" Ash asked him, hoping he'd drop the subject on the spot. Because he didn't really feel like answering any questions about... Lately.

"Ash..." He sighed before throwing the pillow back into his face, at which time he placed it back under his head, "Just go to sleep, all right? And try not to wet the bed in your urge to stay on top of things cause there's more than one person sleeping in the bed this time." He yawned and turned the other way, leaving Ash to himself.

With nothing else to be scrutinized about, Ash soon heard the soft snores of Tracey, along with the all ready familiar leveled breathing of Misty. And it gave him goose bumps. He could feel his hair prickle at the thought of being somewhat... Crushed into his crushing friend. Pun intended. He sighed in order to let himself calm down then dug the covers up and put his head beneath them. He tried to keep his eyes and ears closed to any and everything that could make him start up some panic attack that he was well-rare to receive.

****

Dum, dum... Dum, da, da, dum... La, la, la... I'm not thinking of anything. No Tentacool, no Misty... Nothing but my future. I'm gonna win those badges and get into the championship! And this time, I'm coming out on top! He thought to himself, happy to have discovered something to maintain him until his dreams took him over. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be the normal night of dreams...

~*~*~

(Dream Mode, in case you couldn't guess...)

****

Dum... Dum, dum, dum... Dum... Dum, dum, dum... The soft beat of the drumming waves against the shore reminded him of many things. It reminded him of thunder, it reminded him of drum rolls... It reminded him of a heart beat. Which was something he felt quickening as he found himself standing on a scratched marble surface, obscenely waxed to look as illustriously polished as possible. His next view was that of a fish tank, filled with small, glistening rainbows, it seemed. But, through the glass, he saw a pair of bleary, sea-green eyes staring back. He reeled back slightly, catching onto the fact that he was being watched, and walked around the small stand to approach his semi-stalker.

He was met with a sweet smile dancing on a young girl's face, dressed as an angel. He looked down at his clothes, expecting to feel quite out of place, but saw only a metal casing, like that of a steel knights' suit. Around his waist lay a glistening silver sword. Suddenly feeling less apprehensive, he held out a hand, only to be held back as the unknown being was taken by someone else. He looked into the face to see deep forest-green eyes, a smirking face, nearly blackened hair falling freely around his cheek bones, a towering being. It was Tracey.

He turned around and saw a dance floor. There, holding the crowd in awe, were the two of them and he felt a sort of constricting in his chest. Like some... Urge... Wanted so badly to jump and punch the older male until he was pummeled through the floor. But he had no idea why. It was just something about that girl that kept his eyes on her... And, he realized, her eyes on him, for he had noticed that with each sweeping twirl, she would catch sight of his face, almost pleading with him to cut in.

So he stepped forward, tapped the one he called his friend on the shoulder, and bowed respectably, hoping to grace the man with gentlemanly ways he did not have. There was a silence as the room began spinning and he though he was collapsing for a moment before...

...

He woke up to the sight of a balcony. He stood on a chipped, cracked ground he did not remember standing on before. He looked in the direction he was facing, noticing a beautifully structured tower, lined with vines and lilies. He had no idea, though, why he was suddenly here. Then, as though someone else was controlling him like a puppet, he stepped forward into the moonlight and spotted a figure he knew quite well as she faced him from the edge of the balcony--

****

Romeo, Romeo; wherefore art thou, Romeo..?

He didn't know what to do now. Didn't know what to say. Heck, he didn't even know what/who half of those words stood for! All he knew was that, next moment, he was replying to her, bounding up into the first misshapen crutch of the terrace, speaking in a language he'd never heard before. Which made him feel even more astonished with the fact that he was saying it! But never the less, he continued to speak, because it made the one above him glow with contentment--

--But next moment, before he could finish his words, the grasp he held on the wall in front of him loosened and he fell. Expecting to hit the ground, Ash braced himself, not for a real dash of pain, though, because he'd only been a few feet from it. But after a few moments, when he'd finally taken notice that there was no land below him and he fell... Right through a big, black hole. (A/N: Just used that for the sake of his vocabulary **Sweatdrop**.)

He felt his heels hit the ground before the rest of him, a howl was heard (Though not from his mouth), and, next moment, Ash was being thrown around by an unknown force which woke him up with a start...

~*~*~

A/N: We're gonna leave it here, thanks. I'm sure you all can manage a wait of however-long until I see fit to let you hear what happens next. Yes, I did steal a quote from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' (And for that, I give him all the credit, though he's dead anyway and it's not like he can sue me), and I'm sorry to say that it's the only line I know clearly. Everything else is just bits and pieces... But can you blame me?! I got a memory like, well, like water and oil. 

I mean, it seems like I can remember things that happened a decade ago (Like I clearly remember my childhood) but when it comes to things that happened say... Ten minutes to a year ago, you might as well buy off Dumbledore's Pencieve from him because I have no idea. What would you call that..? Short-Idiot-Term-Memory-Loss? Dimwit-Who-Forgets-Things-As-Soon-As-They-Happen-Term-Memory-Loss..? I'm still trying to figure it out...

Ciao, ja ne, whatever till whenever my friends/fans from the digits!

-- Chibi-Suiko


End file.
